Dusting Off the Keyboard

So. I didn't mean to take my last posting so seriously. I sort of let myself drift off into blog-less land for a while. It was nice but I miss the outlet and the flux of cool people I tend to meet via blogging.

This week I will be performing my first assignment from another nice blogger, Melissa of Operation Nice.com who was inspired by a suggestion from Emma who read it on Jackie's site, Letters and Journals. (see how infectious this stuff is!!?)

I'll give you the skinny version: Write 10 Thank You cards and send 'em out.

When I have my list completed, I'll return and post who I sent them to and why. Should be fun!

Thank you- Melissa, Emma and Jackie for starting off this chain of niceness.

Disconnecting is Nice

I'm on my version of Summer break from school. Classes resume the end of September. I have a love/hate relationship with breaks.

On one hand I love the bonus free time. On the other hand, I really know how to fill that bonus free time with things that aren't very healthy for me.

Lately, I've noticed that when my lack of structure starts to overwhelm me, I turn to social networking. That's right...Twitter, Facebook, Myspace, email, blogging.

It's AMAZING how fast the time goes when you're glued to your keyboard. Is it wasted? No. I don't think so. I've learned so much and met the most wonderful people through these activities. But there comes a point at which too much of a good thing is just plain too much.

So over the last week or so I cut some serious ties. I tweeted my last message on Twitter. Myspace, a veritable lifeblood for my social life the last four years, finally drew it's last breath. I have kept a Facebook profile and my blogs. I also completely shut down my laptop and put it in a drawer when not in use.

As much as I miss the instant information, it's been sort of nice not knowing that:
Steve just ate a plate of spaghetti and wants to pass out
or that
Kimmy took her dog to the vet and he has worms
or that
Bob has a high score of 8,093,258 on Gangsta Groupies
or that
Mary is now 20 miles from home....
35 miles from home....
47 miles from home (you get the picture.)

Disconnecting from these things has forced me to go back into my life and find things that make me happy, that make me feel productive, that come only from within me.

I'd forgotten I could do that. And you know what? I'm finding it's pretty nice to get to know myself again.

Color is Nice!

Friday night, after working a 59 hour week, the Usual Suspect could have come straight home, propped up their feet and with complete justification said, "What's for dinner?"

But instead, my sweetheart came through the door with my favorite soda and a bouquet of brightly colored flowers. (There was also a card, but if I go there I'll start to get all mushy again.)

Being remembered is such a nice feeling.

Good News!

Looky what I found!

It's another site promoting Niceness by way of good news. In fact, it's called the Good News Gazette.

If you're tired of failing economy headlines, hollywood homicides and no parking signs (don't they seem to pop up at the most ridiculous places?! I'm just sayin'...) you might want to pop over to the Gazette for a little helping of goodness.

Today's Dose of Nice

I have to be honest...the last few days have been not-so-nice. I've felt really tense and irritable. I kept trying to turn it around, putting myself out there, hoping something would change. But I felt like walls were erupting were green pastures had been only moments before.

Until today! Today has been intensely wonderful and yet not so out of the ordinary that it sets the bar for tomorrow too high.

Left on my own, the Usual Suspect (aka my significant other) deciding to work today, I was on the verge of feeling lonely/cranky/frustrated and was dreading another day I couldn't seem to salvage.

But instead, I pulled myself together, looked at the movie schedule and found something I could attend (on my own) for $1.50. Right up my alley budget-wise.

After the flick, I washed my car. I stood back and looked at how shiny it was and then it hit me- grattitude. I suddenly felt as shiny as my car looked. I was filled with a feeling and thanks for all the opportunities I am afforded in my everyday life. My home, the Usual Suspect, my car that takes me places I love and my ability to attend school full time.

So going to the movies and washing my car doesn't always equate to such a wonderful feeling; but today it was just what I needed to turn me around.

Give It Up For Change

I'm not tight-fisted, but being a full-time college student (aka: I have no real job that pays my bills while I've got my nose in the books) means that my budget is slim at best.

But at full-time broke status, even I have the proverbial 'spare change jar' that sits in my room collecting the random penny and such. I wag it off to the credit union about every three months or so and deposit its contents into my checking account.

The change comes mostly from broken dollar bills I use to get a cookie at school or a cup of coffee for that second round of studying. I realize most of us do this, although I would imagine it happens less and less often as we move towards carrying more plastic and less paper money.

That very thought entered my mind as I swiped my debit card Saturday at a local grocery. The little screen said, "Your total is: $13.09 Would you like to donate to the MDA today? YES NO "

I invariably click NO on anything other than okaying my total, but that day I was thinking about change. Not just change in my jar, but change in behavior, change in perspective, change in me. So I clicked YES and had the cashier round my total the next dollar amount.

Right, so, it was a whopping $0.91 but it was $0.91 that (had I broken paper money) would have been dumped into my change jar at home. Instead, I dumped into in a collective that might find it's way to happier child somewhere.

It felt nice.

In the Beginning...

There was nice!

Theology aside, I think people are born with a desire to treat others nicely. And then we get our first bout of hiccups and think- What the &!3$@ was that all about?! and we get cranky and we start to cry so hard that our faces get all red and it's all downhill from there.

Or is it?
Of course that's an exaggerated view on why people don't act nicely, but it's not all that far off. It just takes one small tiny thing to set us up for crankiness for the rest of the day. Your coffee was too hot, so you had to wait. Then your hair started doing that thing you hate. Then your boss asks you if you'd mind filing that report a day early because he'd like to take Friday off. There's no niceness here.

But what if that thing that started your day had been something nice? Your son picked up his stinky gym shorts from the bathroom floor this morning. You had an extra five minutes before you had to come back from your lunch and so you soaked up the sun while listening to Hot Chocolate's You Sexy Thang. Your dog senses your good mood and starts rolling around with her rubber chew-toy and you just HAVE TO SMILE.

It's just one tick off from cranky, but nice is so much...well, nicer.

So just for today give it a try. Instead of looking for the cranky, look for the nice in your day. If you can't find any- create some! And if you create nice for someone else be forewarned: It will come back to you.